I was intimidated to make my first loaf of sourdough bread. I’d heard others talk about flat and dense loaves—dough that never rose. It wasn’t until I read a sourdough book cover to cover and painted it with post-it notes, highlights, and dog-eared pages that I felt ready to put my newborn sourdough starter to work. I bought flour. I filtered water. I measured. I mixed and kneaded. I folded ever-so-gently while I held my bread until, hours later, I pulled my first sourdough from the oven.
I had my wife taste it. “Pretty good,” she said. “Yeah, pretty good bread.” Only later did she fess up that it was “actually just okay, to be honest.” But all-in-all the bread had a nice rise, a crunchy and well-colored crust, and it did taste great considering it was my first loaf of any kind of bread. And you know what? We ate the entire thing.
This Beginner’s Sourdough Bread post has several videos where I walk you through each step of the sourdough bread-making process. Be sure to see the end for a complete video walkthrough of me making this recipe!
As the new obsession set in, I started making fresh sourdough bread for every meal. There was something about the whole bread-making process that I found captivating. It was–and still is–exciting to mix such elemental ingredients and to see them produce beautiful, life-giving sustenance: it is modern-day alchemy. It’s such a simple thing, and yet it brought me so much joy to see my family and friends tear into a freshly baked loaf that I wanted to bake every day of every week.
This recipe will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen.
Starting to make your first loaf of sourdough bread can be daunting. That’s why I’ve put together this beginner’s sourdough bread tutorial and recipe—it will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen. This how-to guide starts with explaining baking terms and definitions so that we will have a common vocabulary once we get to the recipe.
And then, each step of the process has lots of information to ensure you understand what is happening and what to do. But, before we go on this beginner’s sourdough bread recipe, let’s first take a look at what sourdough bread is.
What is Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough is a specific type of bread created through a natural fermentation process involving suitable bacteria and wild yeasts in the environment (i.e., the air and even a baker’s hands) and, most importantly, on the grain itself. A sourdough starter culture is used to seed fermentation in new dough when making sourdough bread.
Generally speaking, bacteria are primarily responsible for producing organic acids (lactic acid and acetic acid) that contribute to sourdough bread’s flavor, texture, and storage qualities. The wild yeasts produce carbon dioxide gas and ethanol during fermentation. When this gas becomes trapped in the dough’s airtight gluten matrix, the dough begins to rise, resulting in a final loaf of bread with a light and airy texture.
All recipes on The Perfect Loaf are naturally leavened; in other words, you won’t find any commercial yeast or instant yeast here. There’s nothing inherently wrong with commercial yeast, but I prefer to make bread this way because of the wonderful flavor and texture, the health benefits like increased bioavailability of minerals and nutrients, increased keeping quality thanks to the acids generated during natural fermentation, and the fact that it requires so few ingredients (just three!) to make something so delicious.
For a high-level look at each step of the sourdough process, read through the Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread →
Creating a Sourdough Starter
It all begins with a sourdough starter. Before we look at how to make sourdough bread, you need to create a healthy sourdough starter that shows consistent signs of fermentation each day. Creating a sourdough starter is easy: mix flour and water for a few days in succession, and eventually, thanks to the bacteria and wild yeasts on the grain, natural fermentation will begin.
If you’d like to look at how I feed my starter daily, look at my sourdough starter maintenance routine. In this guide, you will see the visual and aromatic cues to look for when your starter is ready for refreshment (feeding).
While waiting for your sourdough starter, let’s look at some terms bakers often use to discuss the various parts of the bread-making process.
Baker’s Terminology
Sourdough starter
A starter is a mixture of flour and water you allow to ferment naturally. You’ll refresh (feed) the starter indefinitely to keep the fermentation active and healthy, and you will wait for it to become fully ripe before you use any of it to make bread.
When you want to make bread, you take a small amount of your starter to create an off-shoot called a levain (see below). See my post on starter creation to read more about the starter and learn how to make one.
Levain (or leaven)
A levain is made by mixing a small off-shoot of your ripe starter with water and flour and allowing it to ferment before mixing it into a dough. You can always use your starter directly to make sourdough bread, but a levain is a small off-shoot that allows you to adjust the flour, hydration, and ripening schedule (which have implications on the bacteria and wild yeast balance).
Also, unlike your sourdough starter, which lives on as its own entity, the entirety of the levain goes into the dough and has the same fate as the bread itself: to be baked in the oven. See my post on what a levain is and how it’s different from a sourdough starter for more information.
Autolyse
Some recipes utilize a step called autolyse (“auto-lease”). It occurs at the beginning of bread baking and is a step in which only flour and water are mixed together and left to rest. The goal of autolyse is to initiate enzymatic activity in the dough to help draw out sugars from the flour. Additionally, it helps increase dough extensibility (the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing).
In most cases, increased extensibility is good as it helps the dough expand and fill with gasses, resulting in a light and airy loaf. See my in-depth post on the autolyse technique for more information.
Bulk fermentation
The dough’s first rise is called bulk fermentation. After mixing the flour, salt, and levain into a dough, you put it all into a bowl or container, cover it, and let it rest. The dough will undergo a fermentation process during this critical step. Bacteria and yeast begin to generate organic acids and alcohols and leaven the dough, which will translate to flavor and rise in your final bread.
For more on this critical step in the bread-making process, see my in-depth guide to bulk fermentation.
Proofing
The proof is the dough’s final, or second, rise after the dough has been divided and shaped and lasts until the dough is finally baked in the oven. During this time, the dough continues to ferment, further strengthening and leavening it. I typically proof at a cold temperature in the refrigerator (also called “retarding”).
In my ultimate guide to proofing, I talk about how to spot when the dough is finished rising and ready to bake, plus a whole lot more.
Final Dough Temperature
The final dough temperature (FDT) is the dough’s temperature after mixing all ingredients. The dough’s temperature is important because it’s the main factor that affects fermentation strength: a warmer dough will ferment faster than a cooler dough.
Naturally, each component (levain, the flour, the water, and the ambient environment) has a temperature. While most of these are out of our control, we can easily adjust the water temperature, which enables us to change the FDT of the entire dough to meet whatever the recipe calls for.
I have a handy water temperature calculator you can use to quickly figure out what you need to warm or cool your mixing water to get the dough to the right temperature.
Or, so you don’t have to do any calculations, here’s a quick cheat sheet for this Beginner’s Sourdough bread recipe:
| If your kitchen temperature is | Warm or cool the mixing water to |
|---|---|
| 68°F (20°C) | 98°F (37°C) |
| 70°F (21°C) | 94°F (34°C) |
| 72°F (22°C) | 90°F (32°C) |
| 74°F (23°C) | 86°F (30°C) |
| 76°F (24°C) | 82°F (28°C) |
| 78°F (25°C) | 78°F (25°C) |
| 80°F (26°C) | 74°F (23°C) |
If your kitchen is outside of these temperatures, my guide on the importance of dough temperature in baking will walk you through calculating exactly what to warm (or cool) your mixing water to so your dough meets the FDT for any recipe.
Baker’s Percentages (Baker’s Math)
Baker’s math, or baker’s percentages, helps bakers adjust the actual quantity of the ingredients up or down, depending on how much bread they want to make. I write all the formulas on The Perfect Loaf in baker’s percentages, where all ingredient weights are a percentage of the total flour weight, which always adds up to 100%. Read through my introduction to baker’s percentages for a more in-depth explanation (including how to scale up and down a bread recipe).
TPL Members (the baking community here) have access to all the recipes here at The Perfect Loaf in spreadsheet form, making scaling up and down recipes as simple as changing a few numbers.
Baking Tools
There are a few necessary tools for baking your first loaf of this beginner’s sourdough bread. The following might look like a long list, but you probably already have many of these in your kitchen—There are a few tools necessary for baking this beginner’s sourdough bread. Note that one item is absolutely necessary: a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, please consider buying one. Measuring flour with cups and scoops is entirely inaccurate!
- combo cooker like a Lodge 3qt. cast iron combo cooker or a Le Creuset Dutch oven that can withstand 500°F (260°C) in the oven and has a well-sealing lid
- large mixing bowl to mix your dough by hand
- two medium kitchen bowls to proof your dough
- two kitchen towels or a tea towel to line the proofing bowls
- bench knife to cut and shape the dough
- plastic or silicone bowl scraper
- kitchen scale that measures in grams
- instant-read thermometer
- white rice flour for dusting proofing bowl
- blade for scoring your dough (a “lame”), or a razor blade, sharp knife, or scissors
- fine-grain sea salt
- parchment paper
- pizza peel (or cutting board)
- heavy duty oven mitt
- the best bread knife for cutting your sourdough bread
You can find a full list of all the tools I use when baking on my baking tools page.
The Importance of Dough Temperature
When I first started baking, I didn’t quite grasp how important temperature is in the bread-making process. I always like to say: Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water, and salt are ingredients. What I mean by that, practically, is that if one day you mix with water that is 70°F (21°C) and then a week later mix with water that is 80°F (26°C), you will get drastically different outcomes.
Temperature determines the amount of fermentation activity you’ll see. Lower temperatures generally mean less activity; therefore, things will take longer. Higher temperatures generally mean more activity; therefore, things will take less time. Working with consistent temperatures will ensure consistency in your bread baking, and you’ll get the desired results in terms of flavor, rise, texture–well, everything.
Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water, and salt are ingredients.
If it’s cold where you’re baking, see my tips on how to bake sourdough bread in the winter. And conversely, if it’s warm where you are, see my post on how to bake in the summer. These guides will help ensure your loaves have the best flavor and volume.
Flour For Baking Bread
I used commonly available supermarket flour for this recipe: Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Dark Rye Flour. These are great flour choices, but any of King Arthur’s offerings are equally suitable. I chose “bread flour” as it has a higher protein percentage than all-purpose flour, which helps bring significant strength to the dough so that less mixing and kneading is required–it also makes things a bit easier for your first loaf of bread.
As you’ll hear me mention throughout this site, I do like to use as little high-protein flour in my recipes as possible as I find it leads to a slightly chewier, gummy interior—or be sure to use it in the correct way.
Baking Schedule
This beginner’s sourdough bread is a two-day-long process where the bread is mixed and prepared on day one, cold-proofed (retarded) in the fridge overnight, then baked on day two.
I love the convenience of this type of schedule: most of the work is done on the first day, then the dough can be left in the fridge until the next day, when it can be baked in the morning, afternoon, or even the evening.
The baking schedule to the right shows you a high-level view of what step takes place and when.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Formula
Now we get to the formula for the beginner’s sourdough bread formula. I start every recipe with two tables: Vitals and Total Formula. The Vitals table gives you a high-level view of the contents of the dough, as well as how much the recipe makes (in this case, two loaves). The Total Formula table lists the ingredients needed for the entire recipe and their respective amounts.
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 1,800 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 7.5% |
| Levain in final dough | 20.3% |
| Hydration | 72.0% |
| Yield | Two loaves |
Total Formula
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 811g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour | 80.0% |
| 152g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour | 15.0% |
| 51g | Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour | 5.0% |
| 730g | Water | 72.0% |
| 18g | Fine sea salt | 1.8% |
| 38g | Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration | 3.8% |
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Method
1. Levain – 8:00 a.m.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 38g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 50.0% |
| 38g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat | 50.0% |
| 38g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour | 50.0% |
| 76g | Water | 100.0% |
Remember: the levain is an off-shoot of your continually maintained sourdough starter and is likewise composed of bacteria and yeasts. You make this levain well before you mix the dough, so it has time to ferment, and eventually, it’s added to the dough to seed fermentation.
Mix the ingredients in the table above in a clean jar (I use the same sourdough starter jars) and leave it at warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), for 5 to 6 hours. When it’s ready, it will be expanded, bubbly on top, inside, and at the sides, and have a slightly sour aroma. The photo below shows my levain before it goes into my dough mix.
2. Autolyse – 12:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 773g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour |
| 114g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour |
| 51g | Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour |
| 603g | Water (this has 50g less than the overall formula, reserved for Mix step below) |
The desired dough temperature (DDT) for this dough is 78°F (25°C). As described in the temperature section above, we will try to get the dough to this temperature right at the end of mixing (which is also at the beginning of bulk fermentation).
Warm or cool the autolyse water so the mixed dough reaches the FDT for this recipe. Place the flour and the water called for in the table above in a large bowl. Use wet hands to mix until no dry bits remain; the dough will be shaggy and loose. Use a bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl, keeping all the dough in one area at the bottom. Cover the bowl and place it near your levain for 1 hour.
Note that the autolyse stage does not incorporate salt or the levain in any way since the autolyse is a long one hour. Adding the levain to the autolyse would mean fermentation would begin, which could end up overproofing the dough. Salt is rarely added to an autolyse because the salt would diminish enzymatic activity during this time, which is precisely why we are doing an autolyse. The autolyse and levain are two separate entities that will be mixed together later in the process.
3. Mix – 1:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 50g | Reserved water (this water was held back in the Autolyse step) |
| 18g | Fine sea salt |
| 190g | Ripe, 100% hydration levain (from Levain, above) |
Use your instant-read thermometer to take the dough’s temperature and compare it to the FDT for this recipe. If it is higher, use cold water for the reserved water; if it is lower, use warm water.
At this point, your autolyse is complete and your levain is ready—it’s time to mix and strengthen the dough. If the dough feels very wet and shaggy, do not use all of the reserved 50g of water; use only a splash to help incorporate the salt and levain. If the dough feels good to you, use all the reserved water.
To the autolyse, add the ingredients in the table above (salt, reserved water to help adjust dough hydration and consistency, and levain). I like to spread everything on top of the dough and use wet hands to pinch all the ingredients together. Transfer the dough to a container or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.
Take the temperature of the dough to get your final dough temperature. If your FDT is below 78°F (25°C), next time use warmer water, and conversely, if it’s above 78°F (25°C), use cooler water. Cover the dough.
4. Bulk Fermentation – 1:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.
At 74-76°F (23-24°C) ambient temperature, bulk fermentation should go for about 4 hours. Perform 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.
Each set of stretches and folds consists of 4 folds: one each at the North, South, East, and West sides. Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking, and then lift one side (North) of the dough with two hands. Stretch the dough high enough so you can fold it completely over to the other side. Rotate the bowl 180° and do the other side (South). Finish the other two sides (East and West) to complete the set. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered, between sets.
In the video below, you can see how I stretch and fold this dough during bulk fermentation.
After the third set of stretch and folds, let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation. During this time, fermentation aerates the dough (making it rise), continues to strengthen it, and further develops its flavor.
At the end of bulk fermentation, your dough should have risen by 20% to 50%. It should show some bubbles on the top and sides, and the edge of the dough where it meets the bowl should be slightly domed, which indicates strength. In the photo above, you can see all these signs. If you don’t see these signs, leave it for another 15 minutes in bulk fermentation and check again.
5. Divide and preshape – 5:15 p.m.
Lightly flour a work surface. Using a bowl scraper, gently scrape the dough onto the work surface and use your bench knife to divide the dough directly in half. Using your bench knife in your dominant hand, and the other hand wet (or floured, if you prefer) to reduce sticking, turn each half of the dough on the counter while lightly pulling the dough towards you. This gentle turning and pulling motion will develop tension on the dough’s top, forming a circle.
Preshaping bread dough is an often overlooked step, but it sets the stage for successful shaping later. See my guide to preshaping bread dough for more information.
Let the dough rest for 25 minutes, uncovered.
In the video below, you can see how I preshape this beginner’s sourdough bread dough:
6. Shape – 5:35 p.m.
If you’re new to shaping bread dough, check out my guide to shaping a boule (a round) in addition to the steps below.
Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and the work surface. Working with one round at a time, flip the round so the floured top is now down on the floured work surface.
As seen in the image below, with lightly floured hands, grab the bottom of the round and stretch it lightly downward towards your body, and then up and over about 2/3 of the way to the top.
Then, grab the left and right sides of the dough and stretch them away from each other. Fold one side over toward the other and repeat with the other side.
Then, grab the top of the circle, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it down to the bottom of the dough. You’ll now have a tight package that resembles a letter.
Finally, flip or roll down the dough so the seams are all on the bottom. Using both hands, cup the top part of the round and drag the dough gently towards your body to create surface tension on the dough. The angle of your hands will gently press the dough’s bottom on the counter. This dragging helps create surface tension on the dough, which helps keep it in shape during proofing.
Let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes to help the bottom seam seal.
In the video below, you can see how I shape bread dough into a boule shape.
Meanwhile, prepare your proofing baskets. Line two proofing baskets, kitchen bowls, or bannetons with clean kitchen towels. Dust lightly and evenly with plain white flour or white rice flour. Gently transfer each piece of shaped dough to a proofing basket, seam-side-up.
You can also top this dough with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and much more—see my guide to topping bread dough for more ideas and instructions.
7. Rest and proof – 5:40 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. (next day)
To prevent your dough from drying out overnight, place your bowls containing your shaped dough into reusable plastic bags and seal. I usually puff up the plastic bag around the bowl by opening it wide and then quickly closing it.
Let the dough rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Then, retard (a baker’s term meaning place into a cold area to proof) in the refrigerator at 38°F (3°C) for 16 hours (overnight).
During this time, overall fermentation will slow (especially yeast activity), but bacterial activity will continue at a reduced rate, resulting in a more complex flavor and, ultimately, deeper crust coloring.
8. Bake – Next morning: preheat oven at 8:30 a.m., bake at 9:30 a.m.
Now, it’s time to bake your sourdough bread. It’s not a difficult step, but there are some things to know. The oven needs steam for the best crust and tallest rise. I like to use a Dutch oven or combo cooker, which is very easy. These pots trap the steam released from the dough and provide the right environment for it to rise optimally.
See my full guide to baking sourdough bread for tips on scoring your dough, pots, and steaming.
Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven with no rack above it. Put your combo cooker or Dutch oven on the oven rack, and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes. If you’re using a combo cooker, place the shallow side face up on one side and the heavier, deep side face down on the other.
When your oven is preheated, remove one of the proofing baskets from the fridge, uncover it, and place a piece of parchment paper over it. Place a pizza peel, cutting board, or inverted baking sheet on top of the parchment and, using both hands, flip everything over. Gently remove the basket; your dough should rest on the parchment.
Using a razor blade, sharp knife, or baker’s lame, score the dough at a 90° angle between the blade and the dough. I chose to make a “box” pattern. If using scissors, snip the dough a few times at a very shallow angle between the scissors and the dough, forming a set of ridges down the dough’s center.
While wearing your heavy-duty oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your shallow side of the combo cooker and place it on a heat-safe rack or stovetop. Slide the dough into the combo cooker or Dutch oven. Place it back into the oven and cover the shallow side with the deep side, or put the lid on the Dutch oven. This sealed environment helps trap the moisture (escaping steam) from your dough to steam the loaf exterior as it bakes, which encourages maximal rise and a crunchy, shiny crust.
Bake for 20 minutes. Vent the oven of steam: use your oven mitt to very carefully remove the top of the combo cooker or Dutch oven. Leave the large side of the combo cooker in the oven to the side. Close the oven door and bake for 30 minutes more. When done, the loaf should have an internal temperature of around 208°F (97°C), and the crust should be a deep mahogany color and crackle/crunch when squeezed.
Use your oven mitt to transfer the bread to a wire rack carefully. Cool for 1 to 2 hours before slicing into your beginner’s sourdough bread. For the second loaf, preheat the combo cooker or Dutch oven for 15 minutes and repeat.
Follow my guide to storing bread to keep your loaves fresh for as long as possible.
Once you get the hang of this beginner’s sourdough bread process and formula, you can endlessly modify it with add-ins like walnuts, cranberries, seeds, and a host of other ingredients bound only by your imagination. But the most important thing is to bake and have fun. Remember that sometimes bread doesn’t come out as you intended–but stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded time and time again.
And of course, buon appetito!
Watch me make this Beginner’s Sourdough Bread from start to finish
In my YouTube video below, you can see how I make my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread, from creating the levain to slicing the final loaves.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 23 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: American
Description
The perfect bread to get started baking sourdough bread at home. This crusty, crunchy, and absolutely delicious loaf of bread is perfect for any lunch or dinner table.
Ingredients
Levain
- 38 grams stoneground whole wheat flour
- 38 grams bread flour
- 76 grams water
- 38 grams ripe sourdough starter
Main dough
- 773 grams bread flour
- 114 grams whole wheat flour
- 51 grams whole grain rye flour
- 653 grams water
- 18 grams fine sea salt
Instructions
- Levain (8:00 a.m.)
In a small container, mix the levain ingredients and keep at 74-76°F (23-24°C) for 5 to 6 hours. - Autolyse (12:00 p.m)
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and 603 grams of water (reserve 50 grams until the next step). Cover and let rest for 1 hour. - Mix (1:00 p.m.)
To the mixing bowl holding your dough, add the salt, ripe levain (from step 1), and reserved 50 grams water. Mix by hand or with a dough whisk until incorporated. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (1:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.)
Give the dough 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals, where the first set starts 30 minutes after the start of bulk fermentation. - Divide and Preshape (5:10 p.m.)
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 25 minutes, uncovered. - Shape (5:35 p.m.)
Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard)—place in proofing baskets. - Rest and Proof (5:40 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. the next day)
Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal shut. Let the dough sit out on the counter for 20 minutes. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight. - Bake (Preheat oven at 8:30 a.m., bake at 9:30 a.m.)
Preheat your oven with a combo cooker or Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). When the oven is preheated, remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer to the preheated combo cooker. Place the cooker in the oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 208°F (97°C). Let the loaves cool for 1 to 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
While the recipe calls for 16 hours of total proof time, you could extend this time and bake the loaves in the morning, afternoon, or even the evening on day two. Leave the proofing dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Frequently Asked Questions
Why is sourdough bread good for you?
Sourdough, and its lengthy natural fermentation process, can help break down the gluten in grain, which helps aid in the body’s digestion. Additionally, fermentation helps “unlock” the nutrition inherent in the grain, allowing for better absorption.
Is sourdough bread sour?
Sourdough isn’t super sour in the traditional sense—it’s not sour like taking a bit of a lemon. But it does have tanginess which is the byproduct of lactic acid fermentation. Sourdough bread will have more sourness than one made with 100% commercial yeast due to the acids created by natural fermentation.
How can I make sourdough bread more sour?
To increase the sour flavor of this sourdough bread, add more whole grains (both to your sourdough starter and the dough itself), keep the dough warm (78°F/25°C or warmer), and lengthen the total fermentation time by keeping the dough in the fridge to proof even longer than the 16 hours specified in the recipe—24 hours is a good starting point.
How can I get a more open crumb with my bread?
First, focus on your sourdough starter to get a more open crumb for this sourdough bread: it should be refreshed (fed) often, kept warm, and used when ripe. Next, strengthen the dough sufficiently during mixing and bulk fermentation by using stretches and folds. Finally, your dough must be fully proofed so that when you press a finger into the dough, it slowly springs back about halfway (if it springs back quickly, let it proof longer; if the finger indentation stays, bake immediately).
What’s Next?
After baking this beginner’s sourdough bread, check out my Baking Guides for more in-depth discussions on all parts of the sourdough bread-making process. If you’re looking to add mix-ins to your bread, have a look at my walnut cranberry sourdough bread—it’s one of the most popular recipes here at The Perfect Loaf—and for good reason! Or, have a look at my Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread for a way to squeeze sourdough bread baking into a busy workday.
Finally, now that you have your sourdough starter bubbling away on your counter check out my sourdough starter discard recipes for ideas on how to use leftovers!
3,324 Comments
Hi Maurizio
Just finished my 7 days starter and cannot wait to bake my first sourdough loaf. I am an occasional bread eater (may be 2 loaves a month would be sufficient).
– Do you have any suggestions on starter management. Is twice a week feeding enough if I keep it in the fridge?
– Can I decrease the weights of feed and starter to avoid wastage? I live in Singapore. Temperature is usually around 85-95F, depending on the day.
– I am also using half the dough mix (i.e one 900gm loaf). Do you recommend levain to be the same weight amount still or should it be halved?
Thank you!
Hey, Tina! Check out my guides page, specifically the sourdough starter section. I have a post on maintenance and then another on storage — these will answer all your questions (and likely more!).
Yes, you can decrease the quantity during refreshments to whatever works for you. If it’s very warm there, which it sound like it is, you can reduce the amount of mature starter you carry over during refreshments to lengthen the time between refreshments.
If you’re baking half the dough weight, halve everything.
Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for sharing all your wisdom. After much struggle, I landed on your sourdough starter instructions and now have a lovely starter 🙂 I am hoping, though, that you can answer two questions about this recipe:
1. My fridge is at 34 degrees. How do I adjust for that during the Rest & Proof stage?
2. Do I do the water temp calculation for ALL the water or just the final 50 g added in the Mix stage?
Thanks again!
So glad to hear that! Answers below:
1. That’s very cold but it’s fine. You could leave the dough out a little longer after you shape before sticking it in the fridge if you find the dough is a little under proofed in the morning (explosive rise, dense interior, etc.).
2. All the water. But the key really is to ensure you hit the final dough temp in each recipe. This might mean you don’t need to adjust the water temp, or you might have to quite a bit, it depends on your kitchen!
Hope that helps, happy baking.
Maurizio, thanks for your contribution and attention to detail! Quick question, do you cover your bread during the bulk fermentation process outlined here? I’ve heard some do a towel, others do plastic wrap. Thanks for the help!
You’re very welcome, Eric! Yes, I cover the dough always. I typically use a reusable plastic cover as listed on my baking tools page. Happy baking!
Can I put half the dough in the fridge to bake mid-week? Thanks
You can place the dough once shaped into the fridge to proof, but I wouldn’t push it more than 2 days. The longer it proofs the less rise you’ll see!
Hi Maurizio,
I’ve been working with a few of your recipes now, and have learned so much from all the knowledge you’ve put out into the baking community; which I greatly appreciate! I was wondering what your thoughts are on a shorter proof at a higher temperature after finishing my shaping around 1:00 P.M. My dough temp will most always sit at 78 degrees Fahrenheit and my ambient temperature is generally 75-78?? I love the complexity of the flavor after a long retard, but am looking to prepare a loaf that can be cut into near 6:00 P.M. Thanks again for your help!
You’re very welcome, Torrey! You can definitely work with shortening bulk by keeping it a little warmer, but I don’t like to go below 3 hours for bulk fermentation. It’s a very critical time for the dough, and if you try to rush it along too fast you’ll sacrifice either structure or flavor (or both). What I’d do instead, is start the entire process earlier so bulk finishes earlier, then instead of retarding overnight in the fridge, just proof at ambient temp (or a little warmer, 78F would be nice) for 1-2 hours until ready, and bake the same day. That will work quite well!
Hi Maurizio, you’re my baking hero! Thank you for this wonderful, wonderful resource (and for having the patience and kindness to respond to everyone’s comments). I have a question about the levain- my starter is behaving as you describe a healthy strong starter would (consistently doubling in size, rising and falling, and over 3 weeks old now), however when I made the levain component of this recipe (twice now), I struggled to get barely 170g out of the mature end levain. It is winter where I am, but I am compensating for that with warmer water and waiting longer (overnight) for it to peak. The levain seems to be at its peak when I go to add it to the main dough (i.e., its doubled in size and hasn’t fallen), so I’m a little lost as to why I’m not getting enough of it to use in the recipe. Do you think it has something to do with my OG starter? The final loaves came out delicious with a nice crumb, but they were on the small side.
Happy to help Lilly! Thanks for the kind words. That’s ok if you’re a little short of the 170g for the levain, it happens sometimes (we might lose a bit to the mixing jar, the spatula, or somewhere else in the process). Just do as you’re doing: make sure it matures fully before using it and if it’s cold in your kitchen, let it mature longer or try to keep it warmer (you can also warm the levain mixing water so the final dough temp of the levain is higher). If you’re still concerned about this and your dough is fermenting too slowly, scale up the levain a bit by increasing every ingredient equally — this way you’ll have a little more to mix into your dough.
It’s pretty normal to be off here and there by a few grams, but if we start getting close to 10-20g off, then adjustments can be made.
I hope that helps and have fun with it, it sounds like you’re doing quite well! Happy baking.
This is more like a sticky ciabatta than a nice sourdough. The hydration is far too high to be able to handle and shape, which is a shame, I was hoping for a nice dough more like the one in the videos. I’ve wasted 6 hours so far, so I’ll try to bury it in semolina for the second fermentation and hope I don’t have to throw away my banneton liners. It sticks to everything and can’t be the same measurements as in the video.
Ah sorry to hear about the trouble, Kent! As I mentioned in the post, hydration is very relative to the flour you’re using. I’d say if you’re still courageous, give this another try with a reduction in water in the recipe (perhaps 100g would do). In addition, hold back another 50g of the water and only add it in during mixing if the dough feels ok to you.
It’s always a bummer to hear this and I know it can be frustrating. If it makes you feel any better, even after baking for a long time I still do this from time-to-time and I get it, the frustration is high!
Hey there! Yes, that’s exactly right (good catch!) and something that does require some planning depending on the ambient temperature in your kitchen. What I typically recommend is to calculate the FDT during the autolyse and heat the water accordingly. Then, if your kitchen is cold, try to keep it in a warm spot (an oven turned off is a great insulated space, or a proofer, if you have one) until mixing. Then, take the temp of your dough before you mix, with that little bit of reserved water heat it or cool it as necessary to try and get your dough closer to the FDT at that point. If you don’t hit it exactly, that’s ok, just record this for next time and know you can heat the water for the autolyse higher than last time to offset the cool off time when it’s resting.
I know it seems like a lot of measuring and fussing, but when you bake the same recipe a few times you end up stop measuring altogether and just sort of instinctually know whether you need to warm a little more that day or not. Keeping notes really helps with this as well (this is what I do and when baking for family and friends I don’t calculate for the FDT).
Hope that helps!
Ah that’s pretty high! Turn it on for a while then turn it off. I usually keep an ambient temp thermometer in there and turn the light off when the temp is just right. Let me know how it goes!
Are there any techniques to develop a more sour taste. I have been baking for a couple of years and love my bread but cant get that sour taste we grew up with.
There are a few things you can do to try and increase the sourness of your bread. First, you want to use your starter, and levain, when it’s very ripe. If it rises up to a certain height, let it sit there for a bit before you use it. If it starts to fall that’s ok too, just try to use it after it falls. That mature, ripe starter/levain has much more acidity than if used when it’s more on the “younger” side. Just be weary that your dough fermentation rate might be a bit faster than previous, keep an eye on it during bulk fermentation and divide the dough when it looks ready.
Additionally, you could try using some rye flour in your final dough mix. Just know that the more rye you include the more dense your loaf will be as rye does have the same gas-trapping capabilities as traditional wheat. It’s up to you on the percentage, but even 5% plays a big role.
Finally, if you can try to push the cold proof in the fridge. There’s a limit of course, but if you could go even a few more hours you should notice more sourness.
Thank you for an amazing resource for Sourdough. I have looked at hundreds of recipes and tried a few variations and this recipe is the one I have settled on. I just have Ione question – you mentioned to make noe loaf, just halve the amount of the dough mix ingredients but you suggest to keep the levain ingredients as they are. Won’t this mean I have too much dough, or should I reduce something else? Or make the levain but just use half of it?
You’re very welcome! I recommend keeping the Levain Build quantity the same just because it’s such a small amount, but you could halve this if you’d like. If you keep it the same, you’ll have a little extra levain as the recipe would only call for half as it’s shown about in the Dough Mix. So yes, what you said last: make the levain as-is but only use half of it. Happy baking!
I made my starter from your recipe and am four weeks into your beginners sourdough, trying to carefully follow the directions-weighing, temp, etc. i love the flavor and texture and am enjoying the process! My problem is that i get a great cavern inside the loaves and otherwise it’s relatively dense. I’ve been proofing for fewer than 16 Hours because at 12 hrs the finger dent test tells me it’s done. Last week, i got no bounce at all from the finger dent test after 14 hours in the fridge, so cut it back to 13 this weekend, and the cavern was even bigger. Do i need more folds? Shorter proof yet? I’m doing a 4 hour bulk fermentation at room temp (70) starting with 78-80^ dough-longer or warmer BF? Thanks for any insights you mights have! Can’t wait to graduate to more recipes once i get this one figured out!
I have a picture, but am not sure how to post it…
Sounds like you’re on your way! Based on the description of your loaves it could be that they are underproofed. There are a few indicators your dough could be under: explosive rise in the oven, dense interior with potentially scattered large holes, and gummy texture to the interior. Finally, it’s possible the bottom of the loaf might be slightly bowed upward (like the letter “U” — the top will kind of dome).
Make sure to build your levain from a starter that’s strong and mature (meaning it’s risen to it’s peak height before you take some to use). From there, bulk fermentation is very important! Make sure your bulk fermentation goes sufficiently far, you want the dough to look smooth, it should have risen considerably, and have bubbles here and there. If you tug on the dough a bit it should offer resistance to your tugging, it’ll feel stronger.
Keep at it and push that fermentation!
Dove into the sourdough making process and your site has been such a huge help! First loaf turned out pretty dang good. Picture perfect and tasty.
Amazed myself. 🙂
Awesome to hear that! Glad my site has helped — here’s to many more awesome bakes 🙂
Hi Maurizio, again continually thankful for your website and the information you are diligent to share! I’m new to sourdough so your guidance has been immensely helpful! My starter began as 100% rye and is now 50/50 KAF AP & Rye. I have been scouring your website for a simple recipe including just both of those flours and this is about as close as I’ve come to find unless I missed something. Would I be able to convert these ratios to use just AP & Rye? Possibly 10-20% rye and 80-90% AP (malted)?
You’re very welcome, Liz! You can certainly do that, just know that the more rye you have in a recipe the more dense the loaf will become — this isn’t a bad thing, just something to be aware of. Rye does not have the same gas-trapping capability wheat does, but what it lacks for there it more than makes up for it with flavor. I’d say start around 10-15% rye and work up from there, and keep increasing to suit your preference.
Happy baking!
Perfect, thank you! Should I change hydration percentages at all?
Ah yes, good catch. As you increase the rye percentage expect to increase the hydration as well. When you’re mixing see how the dough feels, add in a bit more (and measure how much so you know next time) until the dough feels right to you. I’d say the first try just use the same hydration as this recipe, perhaps 25-50g more on reserve if necessary.
I am new to sourdough baking and made this bread first thing. I have made it 3 times and it is so dang perfect I can’t bring myself to make a different one of your recipes. I am not a perfectionist (which doesn’t lend itself really well to baking), but this thing was great the first time I tried. I think I tend to make this wetter than most, it is so floppy there is no way to shape it. But- I just gather it up, plop it in the banneton and it rises to a perfect shape. People are wowed by this loaf, it has a crunchy chewy crust and perfect crumb. Enough said.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Patty — really glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe so much! It’s a great introduction to baking sourdough, and as you said, could be hard to try anything else 🙂Enjoy!
If it looks like it’s only just started to fall, I’d certainly use it as-is. If it’s drastically fallen all the way to the bottom and smells very sour, I’d opt for a quick levain refreshment build — assuming you’ll be around the kitchen today.
For a three-hour levain, mix together: 74g mature starter (you could use that levain you just made, also), 37g ww, 37 bread flour, 74g water (warm this to perhaps 80F). You want that to reach around 78-80F when all mixed together. Keep it warm and it should be ready around 3 hours. Then, use only the amount of levain called for in the recipe, not the whole mixture (it’ll make a little extra).
Hello Maurizio, I just did my first loaf. Your instructions were really helpful, thanks for putting this site together (and thanks in particular for all the photos). My first loaves were OK, not amazing. They didn’t rise quite as much as they should have. I think my levain wasn’t at peak when I mixed it. I’m wondering though if I should have kneaded the dough more? Outside of the mixing stage, where I kneaded it for about 5min, I barely touched it. I only did the 3 foldings during the bulk fermentation stage. Should I spend more time kneading during the mixing stage? What do you recommend?
You’re welcome, Olivier. I’d say first focus on timing that levain, if you use it a bit early it sort of slows the entire timeline down. Let it ripen a bit more and see how the results turn out. Regarding kneading: you can certainly work the dough a bit more to get more strength if you find it’s necessary. You could give it the 5 mins in the beginning, then the sets of stretch and folds, but don’t stop at 3 — if you find the dough still slack and not holding its shape int he bowl give it another strong set (for a total of 4).
Hi Maurizio,
I made this recipe over the weekend – although the bread/crust looks beautiful, great ear, the interior is a bit gummy and dense. I thought I had overproofed, because when I took it out of the bannetton the dough deflated a bit, but now I’m not sure. Any tips on what went wrong? Thanks!
If the hydration is too high for your dough it can lead to an overly wet or gummy interior. If the dough feels “soupy” or very “slack” then try pulling back the water percentage by 5% and see if that helps.
Make sure to bake your loaves completely. The interior should register around 208°F or higher.
If your loaf is under proofed then this will typically lead to a gummy or “wet” textured interior. Make sure your starter and levain are very vigorous and strong when you use them. This is very important! From there, make sure to bulk ferment your dough fully (use the images you see in my posts to guide you on what the dough should look/feel like). You want the dough to be alive and aerated before you divide and shape. From there, a full and complete proof is also very important!
Hi Maurizio
Thanks alot for all your work, it has been a great inspiration for me, in getting on with sourdough. I have tryet out this several times. Some times with more luck than others.
Two things i would ask your advice on is this:
1. When i come to the shaping proces, the dough tend to be so sticky that i hardly are able to work with it at all. Even come to a point where getting it out of the baskets were pretty much impossible (well dusted with flour and everything). I am quite sure that have followed your instructions to the letter.
2. It the proofing seems to be an issue. My sourdough is usually double in size, when i use it. And it seems strong enough ( i think ). But when i take the baskets out of the fridge in the morning, it looks l little more like a bowl of wet dough, than anything els.
Again, thanks for all your great work and in advance, thanks if you are able to clue me in on my mistakes.
Kind retards Albert
You’re welcome, Albert. Happy to hear my site has helped and has been inspiring! Answers:
1) Sounds like your dough is likely over hydrated. Try reducing the water in the recipe by 10% and also add in another set of stretch and folds if necessary (or do some folds in the bowl before bulk fermentation to get the dough started with more strength).
2) Reducing the hydration will help with this issue, but also be sure to shape the dough tightly enough. See my guide to shaping a boule for instruction (with a video) on shaping more effectively.
I hope this helps. Let me know how the next attempt goes with reduced hydration, I’m pretty sure it’ll help quite a bit.
Happy baking!
Hello Maurizio
Thank you very much for your swift reply!
Your tips have made a huge difference and the bread i have been making, has gone alot smoother than it did before.
The only thing that seems to keep tormenting me, is that proofing. I initially cirtan that my bread had failed, when i removed it from the basket the other day, becouse of the lack of size and “roundness”. I even gave it 1.5 hour on a warm spot in the house, just to try to help it along. It turned out that it rose remakebly when baked tho, and the product was rather good. Iam still not fully satisfied, since i dont know whats going wrong in the proces.
Thanks again for your efforts and sharing.
Based on the description of your loaves it could be that they are slightly underproofed. There are a few indicators your dough could be under: explosive rise in the oven, dense interior with potentially scattered large holes, and gummy texture to the interior. Finally, it’s possible the bottom of the loaf might be slightly bowed upward (like the letter “U” — the top will kind of dome).
Make sure to build your levain from a starter that’s strong and mature (meaning it’s risen to it’s peak height before you take some to use). From there, bulk fermentation is very important! Make sure your bulk fermentation goes sufficiently far, you want the dough to look smooth, it should have risen considerably, and have bubbles here and there. If you tug on the dough a bit it should offer resistance to your tugging, it’ll feel stronger.
Hi! Recently I began my sourdough journey, and like you my first bread book is the tartine bread book, I’ve been reading it over and over and I think it’s fascinating! Yesterday I made my first bread from this book and it was good but needs some tweaking. I stumbled on to your page and this guide tackles so many questions that I decided to give your recipe a try! I’m only making half of the recipe but correct me if I’m wrong but I understand I should halve all the ingredients except de leaven? Why is that?
Hey, Laura! Yes, halve everything but I do recommend still making the full levain just because it’s such a small amount. This isn’t necessary, you can halve that as well if you’d like, it’s up to you.
Even though the levain build might be made larger, you still only need the amount of levain called for in the recipe (which would have been halved). Hope that’s not confusing!
Your starter baker percentage is 3.75%. That seems a lot lower than other recipes I’ve seen. Is it low in your opinion and what is your reasoning for that? Also the area I’m cooking in is at 60 degrees F. What variables would you change to compensate for this lower temp and why? Just more time or would a higher baker’s percentage starter maybe be better? Is there a downside to these temps or can I make a loaf that is just as good realizing it will take a lot longer. Also, what negative things starts to happen when your dough takes too long to develop and how much time would that be, in general? Thanks!
Hey, Paul. That 3.75% is just the amount of sourdough starter you need for this recipe. That amount is added to more flour and water to make a much larger levain that eventually is mixed into the dough as the preferment.
You can make a good loaf at 60F but it will likely take much longer. If it were me, I’d warm the mixing water to try and reach a final dough temp around what this recipe calls for. In fact, I do this every day during the winter when I bake 🙂
curious if anyone has made this into dinner rolls. I made the dough thinking I could, but they’re just too unshaped. I really want to make sourdough dinner rolls so I can pull out a few from the freezer as needed for dinner. Much different experience than serving slices of bread 🙁
I have not but have you found my brioche hamburger buns recipe? They make fantastic dinner rolls and freeze very well!
Wonderful thank you. I did not know about this recipe but will try it next!
Today is the big baking day. Looking forward to it. 🙂
Have fun!
I have made this recipe twice now after having followed your guide for the starter. Everything came out amazing well!!! But, I would like to take that same beginner sourdough recipe and make one large loaf. Would the cooking times be the same or longer? Michael
That’s great to hear, Michael! You can certainly do this, expect the bake to take longer in the second half (still steam for 20m, then remove the pans/lid). It’s hard to say how long, but keep baking until the internal temperature is at least 204°F or higher or the loaf looks well colored and a knock to the bottom sounds slightly hollow (this can be hard to discern sometimes with a large loaf, though).
I have been reading your advices and improving my baking every week. Your site is VERY thourought and I find everything I need without having to look anywhere else. I know I need to buy a stone as my bottom is sometimes a little burned but for now, I turn the oven down a notch. Slowly, I am learning from you. Thank you for such generosity!
Thanks for the comments, Manon! Glad my site has helped. Turning the oven down will certainly help, for more tips check out my guide to baking with a Dutch oven which has some more ideas. Happy baking!
Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Eli!
Hello,
How is the pre-fermented flour percentage calculated?
I’ve googled and tried dividing a lot of numbers but I only get answers around 9%.
I’m working on a post on this! But in the meantime, I’m going to fix this recipe because I built in a little extra levain to cover any issues (sometimes some gets lost in the jar, bowl, etc) and it seems to have confused many following your path of checking the numbers. Sorry about the confusion!